In The End
In a 7-to-2 decision, the Court held that the statute made unconstitutional gender classifications, which was violating the 14th Amendment. The Court held that the statistics relied on by the state of Oklahoma were insufficient to show a substantial relationship between the law and the maintenance of traffic safety. Even though both genders did have alcohol related driving accidents and injuries, it was no way significant enough to say that a man had to be restricted to purchase 3.2% beer any longer than a woman had to. Generalities about the drinking habits of aggregate groups did not suffice. The Court also found that the Twenty-first Amendment did not alter the application of the Equal Protection Clause in the case. Craig v. Boren establishes intermediate scrutiny as the appropriate level for gender-based classification.